On the first day of her period, thirteen-year-old Amina stayed home from school.
Not because she was sick.
Not because she was lazy.
Because she had no sanitary pad.
Her mother had to choose between buying food for the family and buying menstrual products.
Food won.
Again.
Amina improvised with old cloth.
She worried constantly about leakage.
She sat alone.
She missed classes.
She missed tests.
She missed opportunities.
Unfortunately, Amina's story is not unique.
Millions of girls around the world experience period poverty—the inability to access safe menstrual products, clean facilities, menstrual education, or healthcare.
For many girls, menstruation becomes a barrier to education.
For many women, it becomes a source of shame and exclusion.
Period poverty is not merely a hygiene issue.
- It is a health issue.
- An education issue.
- A gender equity issue.
- A dignity issue.
No girl should miss school because she is menstruating.
No woman should have to choose between food and menstrual products.
At My Gynae Foundation, we believe that menstrual health is a fundamental right, not a privilege.
When we support a girl with menstrual products and education, we are not simply providing pads.
We are protecting her future.
One period at a time.